2013 College Conference Speakers

Father Jonathan Kalisch

Father Kalisch, 41 years old, grew up in New Jersey and joined the Knights of Columbus in 1991 as a freshman at Georgetown University. He served as the college council’s church director, deputy grand knight, and for two years as grand knight. Working closely with the council’s two chaplains, he saw for the first time the full life of a priest, and the seed of a vocation was planted. After graduation, he worked for an international accounting firm for one year in Warsaw, Poland, before going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he heard a strong call to discern a priestly vocation. He entered the Dominican order in 1996, was ordained in 2003 and received a licentiate in sacred theology the following year from the Dominican House of Studies.

Fr. Spitzer is a Catholic Priest in the Jesuit order, and is currently the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and the Spitzer Center for Catholic Organizations He is also the Chief Educational Officer for the Ethics and Performance Institute. From 1998 to 2009 he was President of Gonzaga University. During that time, Father Spitzer significantly increased the programs and curricula in faith, ethics, service, and leadership, and led the efforts to build 20 new facilities, increased the student population by 75%, and raised more than $200 million for scholarships and capital projects.

A prolific author, Father Spitzer has authored 5 books and numerous articles for both scholarly and popular publications. He is a frequent guest on television and radio programs. Highlights include the Larry King Live, the Today Show, and The Hugh Hewitt Show.

Ross Douthat

Ross Douthat joined The New York Times as an Op-Ed columnist in April 2009. Previously, he was a senior editor at The Atlantic and a blogger for theatlantic.com. His most recent book is Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics (Free Press, 2012). He is also the author of Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class (Hyperion, 2005) and the co-author, with Reihan Salam, of Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream (Doubleday, 2008). He is the film critic for The National Review. A native of New Haven, Conn., he now lives in Washington, D.C.